


La Belle Anglaise

by TheSexiestSelkie



Category: 18th Century CE RPF
Genre: Both Mary and Marie are pregnant, F/F, Flirting, French Revolution, Google translate was used, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I regret this, Light Angst, This Is STUPID, Why Did I Write This?, hand holding, takes place during the summer of 1783
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29888382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSexiestSelkie/pseuds/TheSexiestSelkie
Summary: She appeared to survey, with peculiar attention, a miniature of the Prince of Wales, which Mrs. Robinson wore on her bosom, and of which, on the ensuing day, she commissioned the Duke of Orleans to request the loan.Based on Mary Darby Robinson's memoirs
Relationships: Marie Antoinette/Mary Robinson, Marie Antoinette/Yolande de Polastron Duchesse de Polignac





	La Belle Anglaise

**Author's Note:**

> This Fic is only around 15% historically accurate and 85% self indulgence. Also it's terrible and uses to many commas <3 read at your own risk. See the end of the work for a more in depth explanation of the historical accuracy

“The sound of hundreds of feet running on a wood floor is awful” Mary thought as her own feet made their way across the wooden floor. It came as quite the shock to Mary that with a Palace as extravagant as Versailles the people of France would live with no bread. The hallway was filled to the brim with people of varying social statuses and sizes but they all had one thing in common and that thing was hunger. Whether it be hunger for wealth, power, or an elevated status they were hungry like vultures. Mary, herself was not devoid of this specific hunger herself however it was not for either of the aforementioned things. Mary hungered for her poems to be read and for her plays to be acted, though it’s been years since she last published anything the flame inside The English Sappho for writing has yet to burn out. 

A couple of days prior to this event the duke d’orleans brought Mrs. Robinson a message from the Queen, expressing a wish that la belle Anglaise might be induced to appear at the grand couvert. Mary Robinson, not any less solicitous to meet the lovely Marie Antoinette, gladly accepted the intimation, and immediately began to prepare for the important occasion. 

That night she and the Duke picked out the most tasteful ornaments of Mademoiselle Bertin, Mary was however, rich in native beauty and needed little embellishment. A pale mint green lustring train and body, with a tiffany petticoat, festooned with bunches of the most delicate lilac, were chosen by Mrs. Robinson for her appearance, while a plume of white feathers adorned her head; the native roses of her cheeks, glowing with health and youth, were stained with the deepest rouge. 

Mary blended into the sea of fabric and lace, but as a daisy does in a rose garden her newness set her apart from the Duchesses and Princesses who had all walked these very halls many times before. The Duke left the King’s side to procure Mary a place, where the Queen might have an opportunity of observing “The English Sappho” as closely as possible. From her table at the grand convert, The Queen fixed her eyes onto Mary’s breasts while the King fed himself with a magnificent display of epicurean luxury. The Queen ate nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Antoinette lifted her arms as her ladies of the bedchamber and wardrobe hustle and bustle about with baskets filled with offerings. Offerings include three chemises, some patterned handkerchiefs and towels.

Comtesse Noailles arrives and presents Antoinette with the gazette des atours, which contains fabric swatches of gowns. The Queen selects the garments she will wear for the day by sticking pins in the swatches.

The ladies pulled petticoats down over La Reine, they tied them first in the back then in the front; They laced up her grand corps without any stays under them. Antoinette hated them because of their boned sleeves, the back lacing was also unpleasant. Antoinette’s pregnancy made none of this any better.

The pitter-patter of little feet brought a sense of comfort to the uncomfortable Queen, However the discomfort came back to Marie, as she realized the restriction of her bodice sleeves prevented her from properly hugging her children. Marie-Thérèse Charlotte and Louis Joseph were lifted onto one of their Mother’s many beds and into her view by the Comtesse de Provence. Antoinette planted kisses on the foreheads of her to blonde children as they bounced on her bed. A loving smile crept upon the Queens face as her children giggled cheerfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Mary walked along the gilded hallway to go nowhere in particular before being stopped by a brown haired and violet eyed woman.

“Pardonnez-moi, êtes-vous Madame Robinson”

“Oui c'est moi”

“La reine demande pour vous à être dans le hameau ce soir, À cinq heure et demi.”

“Je serai là”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Mademoiselle Bertin brought out an array of different fabrics for the Queen and The Duke. Antoinette studied them all and finally pointed at a plain white muslin. As Rose and her embroiderer worked on the purse Antoinette watched from a chair in her corner of the room. The entire time she could think of nothing but The English Beauty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Mrs. Robinson grasped a miniature of The Queen in her hand as she shuffled down the hallway, It looked nothing like her. 

It had played down her Habsburg nose which curved at the end and it flattened her bottom lip. The artist also over-exaggerated her eye bags. 

A man wearing a blue hat opened the door for Mary.

“Thank you kind sir”  
“You are always welcome Madame”

Mary rushed past him and through a path, “It’s already 5:25” she thought “Antoinette said to be there by 5:30 ”. Mary finally found herself at la Maison de la Reine et billard, Mrs. Robinson opened the door as quietly as she could, as Mary entered The Queen’s house all eyes remained upon La Reine who played a harp by the front wall. Mary Robinson found a couch by the back of the table and leaned on it in preparation to hear the Queen play. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After her performance on the harp Antoinette stood up to see her family and friends disperse throughout the room and walked towards her dear Gabrielle. Gabrielle wasted no time telling The Queen what she wanted

“Je veux parler à La Belle Anglaise"

“Lève-toi alors”

The two women walked towards Mary, “S'asseoir, s'asseoir” Antoinette insisted.   
“Je ne peux” was the response she received 

“Une femme d'un statut social si bas ne peut pas s'asseoir en ta présence” 

“Il est interdit à une femme d'un statut social aussi bas de dire non à la reine”

“I don’t think I have ever heard that rule, Your Majesty”

“That is because I just made it up, Dear Heart”

It didn’t take much to convince Mrs. Robinson too sit down, as her feet were aching. To the shock of Mary, Gabrielle plopped down on her lap, careful of Mary’s stomach , while the Queen kneeled on the ground in front of the couch.  
“I’ve heard that they call you Perdita in England” Gabrielle cooed into Mary’s ear  
“What you’ve heard is correct Madam, and they call you...”

“Gabrielle” The brunette answered.

With that said Gabrielle planted a kiss onto Mrs. Robinson’s cheek and stood up to leave, The back of her yellow polonaise gown bouncing as she walked.  
“Forgive her, My Beauty she’s had a glass of wine before you got here” The Queen stood up with a groan and sat besides Mary, placing a hand on her stomach. Antoinette surveyed Mary’s bosom one more time. “Do you like it”. The words shocked Marie Antoinette, as if she was asleep and they were a cold bucket of water to her face.

“Pardonnez-moi!”

“My miniature, it’s the Prince of Wales”

“Oh well I see that” The Queen’s words were flat yet not disappointed. Needing to look somewhere other than the floor, Mary Gazed upon The Queen’s gloved arms. Noticing Mrs. Robinson gaze with admiration on her polished arms, The Queen uncovered them, and leaned for a few moments on her hand. The Duchess gave a white purse, which Antoinette had asked her to present, from her, to la belle Anglaise.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Perdita thought about the events of her travels as she trotted out of Versailles. The sound of four feet hitting the ground quickly brought her back to life. The Duke of Orleans and a Woman wearing a Chemise dress stood at her face. The woman curtsied as she uttered her introduction “Marie-Louise Carignan de Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe, here on The Queens request, Madame Robinson''. Louise spoke English awfully well for someone with such a thick Italian accent.  
“The Queen sent, My sister and I here to request you stay”

“Forgive me your Grace but I’ll be giving birth soon and I have a daughter back in England” 

Marie Louise stepped up to Mary, caressing her stomach and placing her forehead upon Mary’s. This level of intimacy from a woman who Mary had just met, shocked her and somewhat disgusted her.

“I’ll request to Her Majesty that she move you into an empty apartment. You can stay in mine until any needed renovations a finished” 

“Madame I am very, very, sorry but I cannot stay” The words came out of Mary’s mouth as quiet as possible. The Princess frowned and stepped away from Mary. Louise stared at Mary, her face adorned with the look of a kicked puppy. She was begging without even opening her mouth. Her begging stopped when The Duke put his hand on Marie-Louise and pulled her away. After a minute of whispered conversation in french Louise rushed away to wherever she came from and The Duke turned to Mary. “Please I beg of you forgive my sister, she’s had a very recent disagreement with The Queen and is trying as hard as possible to return to her good graces ”

Mrs. Robinson not long after these events quitted Paris, and returned to her native country.

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the events in this fic were mad up by me. All of the events that actually happened at the grand couvert and the entire "Queen's Hamlet" scenes were fictionalized. However Marie Antoinette actually did commission to have a purse made for Mary and she actually did stare at Mary's breasts.The "Tightly-Boned" Bodices I mentioned existed and Antoinette hated them even though she wouldn't of worn them while pregnant.


End file.
